My 2014 Highlights

As we move full throttle into 2015, I want to take a moment to look back and celebrate what God has done in 2014 through you.

In 2014 we saw 1,255 people make a decision to place their trust in Jesus! We also got to see 169 people get water baptized in one day! I’ll never forget that day and especially the two people baptized with ankle monitors on. And yes…those numbers matter…because every number has a name and every name represents a person that Jesus came to this earth to die for so that they could be saved!

We also launched a 3 week campaign called STEP UP to raise money for the building we are moving into in August 2015. God’s timing is so perfect and as one door closed, another door opened – the former dollar theater at the Millcreek Mall! And you guys stepped up and pledged over $300,000 towards the renovations of that building. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to check out stepupelevate.com and learn how you can step up and impact the future of Elevate Church

Also in 2014 the church has been able to give back almost $35,000 beyond our walls through ONE for ONE! We believe the church is at it’s best when it leads the way in GENEROSITY. And because you give, we’ve been able to do more in our community to help the hurting, bring hope to the hopeless and reach people who are far from God. And we gladly partner with and support organizations in our city that are doing the same.

In the summer of 2014 we did a massive facelift to the Elevate Church identity. Re-branding the look, but more importantly the culture and focus of our church.

As we’ve grown into our own (and believe me we have a long way to go…) we are becoming laser focused on the mission, vision and strategy.

But just in case anyone ever asks…

The Mission:

Elevate Church exists so that people who are far from God will be filled with life in Christ.

Everything you see (and everything you don’t see) revolves around that mission.

The Vision:

To Introduce people to Jesus, Increase our faith, and Impact our City.

The Strategy:

Gather, Grow, Generosity

I’ll do another post to talk about the Mission, Vision and Strategy in more detail.

Also in 2014 Elevate Church has grown by close to 90% and we’ve extended our reach by adding a 3rd service. The 6PM service is reaching people that are not able to attend church in the morning. And our staff and leaders have stepped up to make it an incredible experience every week.

And one of my personal favorite things to have happened in 2014, we added our second full time position to the church and hired Dave Perkins as our Creative Arts Director. Dave not only has a heart for God and for Elevate, but he’s also incredible at video production, graphic design, music, and pretty much everything else! He’s a husband, musician, cancer survivor, coffee snob, an avid lover of cats (And yes, that is as strange as it sounds), and soon to be – Dad!

Oh yeah, and I did go to Israel this year! Not only was that an incredible experience for me, but also will have a tremendous impact for our church in the years to come.

Thank you for making 2014 so special and unforgettable.

See you Sunday!

Colby Atkins

About Colby Atkins

Colby Atkins is the Lead Pastor of Elevate Church. He and his wife, Kristen, live in Erie with their three sons, Wade, Jake and Parker.

dave Bard

We wish you would sing more ! You rocked the house brother! Great voice! God’s Peace!